Italian campaign ends with criticisms, rallies

ROME -- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his center-left rival Romano Prodi held final, open-air rallies yesterday to bring the curtain down on one of the most acrimonious Italian general election campaigns in memory.

After two months of grueling campaigning, dominated by anxiety over the economy, the two men exchanged their last criticisms and offered their final promises ahead of the voting, which begins tomorrow and continues Monday.

Prodi closed his election drive in central Rome, while the prime minister held court in Naples.

Berlusconi said voters had to decide between an Italy ruled by the center left ''that knows only how to tax, forbid, envy, and hate" and one ruled by the center right that offered the country ''love and rights." Prodi told his flag-waving supporters that he would rule ''for the greater good of Italy. . . . Ours will be a government for the whole country, for everyone."

Prodi, a former European Commission president, is favored to win the vote with the most recent polls putting him 3.5 to 5 percentage points ahead of Berlusconi. However, the last surveys were published two weeks ago.

In a final push, Berlusconi announced that if he won he might scrap a tax on rubbish collection. Earlier this week, he said he would abolish a property tax.

Rivals denounced the move as a desperate attempt to buy victory and said that after five years of economic stagnation, Italians no longer believed his promises.

''Berlusconi advertised dreams for the future, but they were dashed by reality. That's why I think there'll be a big victory for the center left," said Stefano Pucci, 40, a salesman at Prodi's rally.

Over the past two days, Berlusconi has spoken openly about possible defeat. ''If I happen to lose, I'll still be in parliament," he said in an interview with daily Italia Oggi released ahead of today's official publication.

''I am at the limits of my strength. My voice is shredded. I'm keeping going on cortisone," Berlusconi, 69, added.